


let our moment linger

by indiebitch



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Domestic Bliss, Domestic Fluff, Joe deserves love too, Lazy Mornings, M/M, Nicky is Also an Incurable Romantic, Post-Canon, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, its just all softness my dudes, me banging pots and pans together: let! nicky! be! disgustingly! in! love! with! Joe!, no plot just two old men so in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:55:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26246026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/indiebitch/pseuds/indiebitch
Summary: there was something so lovely about Yusuf being draped across him like this. The rise and fall of his stomach as a reminder that his love, his heart was still breathing. The happy little sighs Joe would let out every once in a while. It just made Nicky so happy he could weep.or Nicky loving to watch his husband sleep
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 37
Kudos: 416





	let our moment linger

**Author's Note:**

> title from "let's get high and watch planet earth" by watsky

In the bleariness of waking up that morning, Nicky noticed there was something different. His mind was still foggy with sleep, so he noted the differences slowly. First, he fell asleep on his back which he almost never does. Second, he was very warm; not in a bad way, just in a different way. He noticed that the warmth came from on top of him rather than behind him. Next, there was a ticklish sensation in the crook of his neck.

Finally, Nicky decided to take the plunge headfirst into his investigation. He blinked out the sun from his eyes and tilted his head down and sure enough, it was just as he suspected.

His beloved Joe was almost on top of him with his arm thrown across Nicky’s midsection and his head tucked in right next to his ear. His beautiful curls were messy in the most adorable way that he didn’t mind the way they brushed against Nicky's cheek. 

Joe was still asleep which was not unusual as Nicky was most often the earlier riser of the two. His long eyelashes dusted his cheekbones and his lips were pouted as they always were when Joe was in deep sleep. Nicky had the urge to kiss those pouting lips for just a moment, but he held back because that might wake Joe and he wasn’t ready for his husband to move away from him just yet.

Andy and Joe were doing some recon the night before. It was for their next job that was only a couple of days away. Joe must’ve been so exhausted that he just flopped himself down onto Nicky instead of waking him, chatting about his and Andy’s excursion, before tucking himself behind Nicky and falling asleep like they usually do. 

Most of the time, Joe was behind him (Nile called it “spooning” which Joe cackled over for a good five minutes). It was more of a tactile position than anything else. Nicky was much faster at waking up, so he acted as the first line of defense. That isn’t to say he doesn’t  _ like  _ the “spooning”. Not at all. He loved the feeling of being close to his Yusuf in any way that it was possible, no matter how that happened to be.

But there was something so lovely about Yusuf being draped across him like this. The rise and fall of his stomach as a reminder that his love, his heart was still breathing. The happy little sighs Joe would let out every once in a while. It just made Nicky so happy he could weep.

He felt the sudden need to touch Joe. More so than he already was. And the most wonderful blessing in Nicky’s life was that he  _ could _ touch Joe whenever he wanted to (unless for some reason Joe doesn’t want his touch. It’s rare, but it happens and Nicky  _ always _ listens).

He moved his hand that wasn’t tucked underneath Joe’s body and moved it to his beloved’s back. He felt the soft cotton of Joe’s T-shirt, powerful muscles that shifted ever so slightly underneath the fabric, the ridges of his spine along his fingertips. He caressed him with slow, swooping circles wanting to touch as much area as possible while still taking the time to revel in the sensations.

He knew his beloved must have liked Nicky’s ministrations as he felt his nose nuzzle into his throat, and was rewarded with another one of Joe’s happy little sighs again. It was so unbelievably cute that the urge to kiss Yusuf became overwhelming. 

So, he placed a soft kiss on his forehead, and he lingered there for a moment. The feeling of Joe’s skin against the sensitive skin of his lip was so intoxicating that he almost didn’t want to pull away. He dug his nose into Joe’s hair and smelled the lovely citrus shampoo that he always took with him no matter where they ended up. 

(“Do you know how hard it is to find a  _ good  _ shampoo for my hair type? There is no way I am leaving without it” Joe would always say if Nicky ever teased him about it.)

He must’ve gotten distracted by the aforementioned forehead kissing that he stopped moving his hand along Joe’s back because against his neck Joe unhappily muttered,

“Why’d you stop?”

The grin that broke out on Nicky’s face must’ve been as embarrassing as it was fond.

He returned to gliding his hand across the broad expanse of his shoulders and back.

“Better?” Nicky teased.

Joe just hummed happily and adjusted the arm he had across Nicky’s stomach to pull himself even closer than he was before.

Nicky let out a fond chuckle as he slipped his hand underneath the fabric of Joe’s t-shirt and traced his fingers along Joe’s spine. Joe let out a delighted moan.

“And that?” Nicky asked in a lower tone.

Joe lifted his head, his brown eyes meeting Nicky’s. He reached his head up and placed a soft kiss on Nicky’s lips.

It was Nicky’s turn to let out a happy sigh.

“That’s even better,” Joe answered, a soft smile on his lips.

“I aim to please,” Nicky said, a little breathless.

Joe threw his leg on the other side of Nicky’s hip and shifted his weight so he was almost completely on top of him. He lifted himself on his elbows so his face was directly above Nicky’s, his lips only a few inches away from his own.

“You always please me, ya amar,” Joe admitted, before crushing the distance between their mouths.

They kissed lazily for a few moments, no finesse to their movements. It was more about being as close to each other as humanly possible more than anything else. Nicky moved his other hand that wasn’t on Yusuf’s back to tangle itself into Yusuf’s curls the way Nicky knew his beloved went crazy for. His husband groaned at the feeling and rewarded Nicky with a little nip upon his bottom lip.

When Joe pulled away, Nicky leaned up to chase his lips, not quite done with kissing yet. Joe had the  _ audacity  _ to laugh at Nicky before asking,

“What time is it?”

“Does it matter?” Nicky (rightfully) asked.

Who cares about silly things like time when he could be kissing the most beautiful man that Nicolo di Genova has ever seen?

Joe laughed again, and while it was one of Nicky’s favorite sounds, he would really rather return to what they were doing just moments ago.

Joe kissed the corner of his mouth. Okay, that was better, but not  _ exactly  _ what Nicky wanted.

“We promised Nile we’d take her to the farmer’s market today.” Joe reminded him.

They did do that, didn't they? He cursed his past self out a few times in his head for the egregious offense of suggesting to do something other than cuddling and kissing his beloved. Honestly the  _ nerve  _ of Nicky in the past.

“Fuck the farmer’s market,” Nicky declared as he leaned up to kiss Joe again.

Joe pulled himself back before Nicky’s lips could meet his. Nicky huffed grumpily.

“You  _ love  _ the farmer’s market, ” Joe reminds him. “I’ve seen you spend hours debating what tomato is the best tomato with the local vendors.”

“Right now, I can think of much better things to do than talking about tomatoes.”

“Your Italian ancestors are turning over in their graves.”

“Yusuf, my  _ Genovan _ ancestors had no idea what tomatoes were. I’m sure they are all resting just fine”

He was sure Joe had a wonderfully witty response ready to go, but Nicky finally succeeded in pulling his mouth back down to Nicky’s own. 

“We do have to get going soon though, my heart,” Joe said against Nicky’s mouth between kisses.

“I know, I know.” Nicky relented.

He stopped for a moment, and Joe leaned his forehead against Nicky’s.

He closed his eyes, just reveling in Joe’s breath against his face, stroking the nape of his lover’s neck.

“Just give me a few more minutes,” Nicky whispered.

He wanted more than minutes. He wanted hours, days,  _ lifetimes _ of being this close to his darling,  _ darling  _ Yusuf.

But a few more minutes were better than seconds. Seconds were better than no time at all.

He opened his eyes again and looked into those beautiful dark brown eyes that were so full of love and fondness that the urge to cry at the sight of his beloved returned.

Joe nodded, rubbing his head against Nicky’s.

“A few more minutes,” Joe echoed.

Joe flopped himself back down and tucked himself into the curve of his throat, his arm strewn across Nicky’s midsection once more.

The two lovers sighed in unison, their heart beating in time with each other as they enjoyed their well-earned few more minutes.

**Author's Note:**

> this is heavily inspired by
> 
> 1\. that line where nicky says "as much I love watching you sleep, I am glad you are awake"
> 
> 2\. life is a shit-show nd i think we can all use a little softness
> 
> 3\. Discourse on tumblr was making me angry so I thought I'd take moment to remind everyone that Joe deserves to be soft and to be loved by his beautiful husband too.
> 
> anyway if u would like to yell at me about this old married couple u can catch me @adelineflowerz on tumblr
> 
> nd if u wanna make my heart sing with the joys that Validation brings drop a kudos or comment if u so wish :D


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